One of the Giants’ most iconic MLB playoff home runs during their five-season run of dominance from 2010 through 2014 actually was tough for top prospect Bryce Eldridge to watch.
Eldridge, a native of Vienna, Va., grew up a Washington Nationals fan. During the 2014 National League Division Series between his favorite team and his future organization, the then-9-year-old was playing on a travel ball team.
On Oct. 4, 16 days shy of Eldridge’s 10th birthday, Brandon Belt connected for a legendary 18th-inning solo homer off Nationals pitcher Tanner Roark to give the Giants an eventual 2-1 Game 2 win and a two-games-to-none lead in the best-of-five series.
“I stayed up for that game,” Eldridge told NBC Sports Bay Area’s Alex Pavlovic on “Giants Talk,” which debuted Thursday. “That was probably 2014 and I was at a baseball tournament in Delaware. Maryland or Delaware. Belt hit that homer? Yeah, I was up for that. Broke my heart.
“My travel team, obviously, we’re all from the D.C. area, we were all at The Greene Turtle [Sports Bar and Grille] watching that game. Ended up going back to the hotel because it went on all night. On the East Coast, it was, I don’t know, probably 2 a.m. when that game ended.”
Belt and the Giants eliminated the top-seeded Nationals in four games and went on to capture their third World Series title in five years.
Because of those three titles, Eldridge, still just 20 years old, is very familiar with the Giants.
“I grew up watching them dominate and [win] those three in five years that they did it. I grew up watching them beat my Nationals in the playoffs,” Eldridge told Pavlovic. “I knew they had a rich history. Obviously, being a left-handed hitter, I kind of grew up idolizing Barry Bonds as well and what he was able to do. I just know so many great people have played for this organization and there’s a lot of rich history and winning. And that’s something that’s important to me.”
Now, Eldridge is crushing homers on a nightly basis at Triple-A Sacramento, and he’s on the brink of making his MLB debut either in September this year or sometime early in 2026.
In 89 games between three levels this season, Eldridge is slashing .260/.334/.518 with 17 doubles, 23 home runs and 75 RBI. Sixteen of those longballs have come in 53 games with the River Cats.
If Eldridge is on the Giants’ 26-man roster to begin the 2026 season, he won’t have to wait long to play close to home, as San Francisco plays in Baltimore April 10-12 and in Washington, D.C. April 17-19.
That 10-day stretch next April could end up being quite the full-circle moment for Eldridge.
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